“It’s about identical to what I went through in Boston,” Crawford said of meeting his former Tampa Bay teammate, current Atlanta Braves outfielder B.J. Upton, before the first game in Atlanta this weekend. “We just talked about hitting and he said he wasn’t swinging the bat well. I didn’t have to ask (what he was going through). I could see with my own eyes. And all I could think about was what I went through in Boston.”

Crawford and Upton played alongside each other in the Rays’ outfield for parts of six seasons before Crawford left as a free agent, taking the big money offered by the Boston Red Sox after the 2010 season.

His time in Boston was a nightmare, characterized by failure on the field, boos from the stands and injuries. Last year’s trade to the Dodgers brought Crawford nothing but relief.

Upton, meanwhile, left the Rays as a free agent last winter, signing a much more modest deal than Crawford’s with Boston and joining his brother in the Braves’ outfield (Justin was acquired by the Braves in a.trade with the Arizona Diamondbacks). Nonetheless, that five-year, $72.25 deal is looking like a mistake with Upton batting .145 through the first 42 games of the season.

“We don’t realize it until we leave but we had it really good in Tampa,” Crawford said. “They gave us a lot of freedom to just go out and play baseball. They let you be yourself. Get ready how we want to get ready. It’s a unique place in baseball but you don’t realize that until you leave.

“Hitting .145 after the first month – we never did that in Tampa. Neither one of us.”

Like Crawford in Boston, Upton has been dropped in the Braves lineup due to his poor start. While striking out in four consecutive at-bats over the first two games of this Braves series against the Dodgers at Turner Field, Upton has been treated to resounding boos from the home fans – something else that brings up painful memories for Crawford.

“I just told him he’s lucky he’s not where I was. It’d be three times worse,” Crawford said of the rabid fans at Fenway Park, renowned for turning on their own when disappointed. “He’s going to get hot. I’ve seen it. He’s too good not to. And once he gets hot here, they’ll forget about the first month. Where I was, they never forget. If you get hot, they always remember that first month.

“Every game is like a road game. You know what – you expect to get booed on the road. Then you come home and get booed like that? It makes it a long year.”

LILLY RETURN

Dodgers manager Don Mattingly said veteran left-hander Ted Lilly will likely be activated from the DL in the next couple days, most likely Monday when the team opens in Milwaukee. What he is going to do with Lilly once he’s back was a question Mattingly couldn’t answer.

Magill is taking Josh Beckett’s spot in the rotation Sunday. The Dodgers could skip that spot in the rotation the next time through and not need a fifth starter until May 28 against the Angels.

In the meantime, Mattingly said he “may be willing to pitch” Lilly out of the bullpen. But “you have to cut that off at some point” if he’s going to return to the rotation.

“It’s a little bit dysfunctional,” he said.

Mattingly said Friday that he thought Lilly should make at least one more start in the minors on a rehab assignment before returning but Lilly maintains he is healthy and ready to come off the DL.

ELLIS STATUS

Mark Ellis played seven innings at second base and went 0 for 3 with a walk Saturday night after playing three innings and getting one at-bat Friday on his rehab assignment with Double-A Chattanooga.

The plan now is to have Ellis join the Dodgers in Atlanta on Sunday and travel with them to Milwaukee after the game. Ellis could be activated from the DL in time for Monday’s game or he could continue his rehab assignment, possibly with Class-A Great Lakes (a short trip from Milwaukee).

NOTES

LHP Scott Elbert pitched an inning for Double-A Chattanooga Saturday, allowing a run on two hits. He is scheduled to pitch to at least one batter on Sunday as well. It will be the first time Elbert pitches on consecutive days in his rehab assignment after two surgical procedures on his elbow. … Braves LHP Eric O’Flaherty pitched the eighth inning in their win over the Dodgers on Friday, giving up a home run to Scott Van Slyke. O’Flaherty went on the DL on Saturday and will likely undergo season-ending Tommy John surgery.

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